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So heres the story, I've got a neighbor with three families living in a 3 BR home. In and of itself, no big deal.. The problem is the 6-8 cars which have spilled from the garage to the driveway, streets, and beyond.

Does Hillsborough County have any ordinances about this? I know the home is a "Single Family Home" but does this really mean anything?

In our current community and all the other ones we lived prior to this one, they did not allow cars to bleed out of the driveways and park on the street or fix cars in the driveway for that matter, but this was an HOA matter...as a matter of fact you were not allowed to park on the side walk that was adjacent to the driveways, your car had to be ON your driveway....I personally hate it when people park over the side walk and I have to take the stroller through the street to continue my walk! some people just have no common sense about it. But in our case it was the HOA who was making sure notices were sent etc.

Yes, there are ordinances. It's unlawful to block sidewalks, but I don't know the answer to your specific question. They've always been very helpful to me. Give them a call --> Hillsborough County Government Online - Code Enforcement (http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/hcce/ - broken link).

I know there are parking ordinances and you can't block peoples' driveways etc. As far as 3 families living in a 3 bedroom house I don't know. In apartments, the landlord has to know how many people are living there. If they own the house than I don't think there is anything they can do about that.

I hope you get the car issue taken care of. It just shows that some people don't care about their neighbors.

Tampakaren gave you great advise and you need to know if it is a HOA community or not...if it is a HOA community you should talk to the HOA as well. I know that in Pasco and Hillsborough County all roads have NO parking in any streets! So call the police...

Both the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County have ordinances that prohibit both an excessive number of vehicles parked at a single-family residence and utilizing a single-family residence as a multi-family residence. It is possible for a single-family residence to be legally converted into a multi-family residence, but that would require a zoning change and would show when you search the address on the property appraiser's website. If you believe they are in violation, make a report with the appropriate code enforcement agency.

As to the comment about it being illegal to park on the streets, that is incorrect. It is only illegal to park in a street that is laned for traffic. As long as there are no lanes (and there usually aren't on neighborhood streets), there is at least ten feet of usable roadway, and the vehicle is not parked the wrong direction or otherwise in violation of any other parking regulations, it is perfectly legal to park on the street.

The Capaz Area Crime Watch Association (in West Tampa) has had many (friutless) meetings with the city on the occupancy requirements of a zoned Single family home. They have chosen to use Sec. 27-545 of the City Code that defines "Family" as "Any number of people related by blood, marriage, legal guardianship or not more than four (4) unrealted persons living together as a single housekeeping unit......"

Believe it or not their official position is ANY Number as per the definition can live in a Single Family home. When asked if 50 people are allowed to live in a dwelling with one toilet, they mumble that the definition allows it!

The city totally ignores the provisions of Sec. 27-272 which provides for the following occupancy restrictions relating to a single family residence:

> at no time may the number of occupants in an accessory dwelling (a detached building converted to living quarters not to exceed 950 sq. feet) exceed two (2) and the main residence must be owner occupied. The use of this arrangement must be reviewed annually by the city.
> In the an extended (remodeled) family residence, which is limited to 950 sq. feet, must be owner occupied the occupants of which must be family members (as defined above), to meet a temporary need and limited to two (2) persons who shall not pay rent. The owner of such an extended residence must certify in writing that all these requirements are met.

In our crime watch area we have many problem rentals that do not meet the above requirements and the city (Code Enforcement) will not do anything about it. Repeated complaints have gone directly to the Mayor to be met with silence on this issue. Perhaps when we get a new Mayor, Code Enforcement will be made to do their job. We wonder if Davis Island or Hyde Park has this problem!

While not the case in Tampa or Hillsborough, some local municipalities do prohibit any and all on-street parking. Bellaire Beach is one of these cities.

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